


Ended Up Where We Started

by ShellButty82



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: First Kiss Anniversary, Fluff, Little bit of angst, M/M, Reunion 3.0
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellButty82/pseuds/ShellButty82
Summary: Anniversary fic.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 6
Kudos: 118





	Ended Up Where We Started

**Author's Note:**

> Its been 6 years since the robron fandom was born.
> 
> This is a combination of reunion and first kiss 😘
> 
> Thank you to Sarah and Anne and thank you to Amy for the title 😘😘

**_December 4th 2022_ **

"But you promised." chas whined. 

Aaron shucked his jacket on and went to look for his work shoes. 

Chas had been coming down to the Mill every morning for the last week and Aaron couldn't understand why. 

Not that he minded her coming down occasionally. But every morning was a bit much. 

Finding his shoes near the stairs he pressed his foot into one and looked at his mum. 

"Mum" he said. "I told you. I got a new client for the scrapyard yesterday and he wanted to meet as soon as so…" 

Aaron had promised Chas earlier in the week that he would take Chas and Eve Christmas shopping but he wasn't going to turn down new business. 

Chas nodded and looked around the flat and all of Seb's toys were neatly packed away in boxes. 

" Where's Seb?" she asked. 

"He went to sleep at Cain and Moira's last night." 

Aaron had sole custody of Seb after Ross left Rebecca. She couldn't handle the responsibility of a child with her medical condition. Aaron was over the moon when he received the call from social services. 

Aaron was looking for his keys when Chas spoke again. 

"Do you still think about him?" she asked. 

Aaron stopped. Heart pounding in his chest. He knew who she was talking about. 

"Who?"

Chas rolled her eyes. Voice soft. "You know who I'm talking about." 

  
  


Aaron stared at her. He thought about Robert everyday for the last three years. Robert never left Aaron's thoughts. He wasn't going to tell his mum that though. Instead he tried to shrug it off. 

"Sometimes" he lied. "But not so much now." he gave her a small smile, hoping it was enough. 

Chas nodded and a silence stretched between them. Aaron pulled at a thread on his coat sleeve for something to do until Chas cleared her throat and spoke again. 

"So." she said brightly. "Tell me about this client you're meeting."

Aaron relaxed slightly, thankful for the change of subject. 

"Not much to tell to be honest." he shrugged. "He called yesterday for a meeting in Hotten about a scrap deal." 

"Right." she said, waiting for Aaron to continue. "And… What? That's it.?" 

Aaron looked at his mum and shrugged again. "That's it. Nothing much else to it." 

Chas tilted her head. "What's the name of the company?" she asked. 

Aaron was grateful his mum was taking an interest in his life but he couldn't deal with the twenty questions she was throwing at him. 

"It's…" he waved his hand dismissively "Rugtree-something." Aaron couldn't remember the name exactly, the guy was talking with a thick Yorkshire accent like his uncle Zac. 

Chas muttered something under her breath and Aaron gave her a questioning look. 

She huffed a laugh. "Sounds like a tree surgeon." 

"Well, I don't really care about the name as long as I get the contract." he said. 

  
  


Aaron walked purposefully to the front door trying to end the conversation. 

"If the meeting runs over will you pick up Seb and take him back to the pub?" 

Chas studied him for a moment before answering. "Of course. Just send us a text beforehand." she said with a bright smile that confused the heck out of Aaron. 

Aaron nodded his thanks and left the Mill. 

~*~

  
  


The guy was a no show. 

_ Great.  _

Aaron had waited a good hour or so for this client and when he tried calling the man the number was no longer in service, which struck Aaron as odd. 

Draining the last remnants of his fourth or fifth cup of tea, Aaron decided to leave the cafe. If he wasn't going to turn up now then he was never going to show. 

He sent a text to his mum telling her the same and he was going to be home early. 

Aaron stepped out of the café and instead of being met with the clear, crisp blue sky from earlier, he was met with dark clouds and rain coming down so heavily, it bounced off of the tarmac. 

_ Great.  _

Jogging to where the car was parked he got in and drove out of Hotten. 

Disappointment weighed heavy in his chest at losing a potential client. 

  
  


~*~

  
  


By the time Aaron had reached the country roads back to Emmerdale, the sun had already set and the night had set in. 

The windscreen was hard to see out of due to the heavy rainfall. 

Driving slowly and carefully wasn't really but, in this, it was a must. 

As he made his way home, Aaron's mind wandered back to earlier in the day at the question Chas had asked him. 

He still thought about Robert. 

While Aaron spent most of his time with Seb and the business, it had kept him busy for the last three years. 

  
  


Had it really been that long ago?

  
  


The family they wanted with seb and half a dozen or so kids they'd dreamed of. 

  
  


Snorting to himself, Aaron pictured Robert in his stupid Christmas jumper. Their stupid tradition that Paddy had inadvertently set off. 

  
  


Aaron hadn't forgotten about Robert. How could he forget?

  
  


How could he forget about this amazing, selfless man who he enjoyed more than breathing? 

  
  


They were happy, content and ready to start a proper life together. 

  
  


And then it happened. 

  
  


Aaron's life came crashing around his ears, his whole life fell apart. Entirely because of that stupid shovel. 

  
  


He blamed Vic and Diane for the most part. Robert too. If Robert had listened to him in the first place, Aaron wouldn't be spending another Christmas alone and Robert wouldn't be in prison. 

Pulled from his thoughts, Aaron looked through his blurry windscreen. 

He could see a pair of hazard lights up ahead. 

Some poor sod had broken down. 

  
  


Aaron took pity on the soul. 

  
  


Knowing if it was him in the same position he would expect someone to stop and help. Karma and all that stuff.

  
  


As the lights got nearer, he brought the car to a stop. Parking along the opposite side of the layby. Twisting off the ignition, he grabbed his phone from the passenger seat and turned on the torch function. 

Pulling the hood over his head he zipped up his coat to his chin and made his way to the vehicle. 

  
  


The hood on the old golf was already up. Shining his torch on the inside Aaron could make out the smoke. 

  
  


Taking a few steps to the driver's position, Aaron tapped lightly on the window with his knuckle. 

  
  


The door opened and the man slowly stepped away. Closing the door carefully behind him. 

  
  


Aaron shone his flashlight on the man's face. 

  
  


A tirade of emotions hit him all at once. Anger. Fear. Hatred. Love. Shock. He looked at the man with wide eyes and he dropped his phone, not hearing it smash as it hit the earth. 

  
  


Aaron took half a step back. Not believing for one second who was standing in front of him. Aaron's heart rate increased. He'd played this bit in his mind so many times over the last few years. Played out how he would react if he ever saw him once more. 

  
  


Now. 

  
  


Now he didn't know what to do next.

  
  


It was a dream. He couldn't possibly be real.

  
  


"Robert." he whispered. A statement more than a question. 

"Aaron," Robert said. His voice breaking. 

Robert took a gentle step forward towards Aaron but Aaron took a step back. 

Robert couldn't help the feeling of hurt at his rejection. 

"You're out." Aaron said. Stating the obvious. 

"Yeah, I'm out." Robert countered. 

"How long?" he asked but Aaron didn't let Robert answer the question. "Long enough to get a car and break down." 

Robert lowered his head. "A few weeks." he said looking back up at Aaron and nearly regretting it, judging by the look on his face. 

"A few weeks?" he repeated "And were you ever gonna tell me or was just hoping I'd never find out?" 

Robert was about to say  _ no.  _ He would have called him eventually but Aaron didn't give him the opportunity to answer. 

"Or did you just break down on purpose so that-" 

"Yes!" Robert said, raising his own voice. 

Aaron started at Robert for what felt like an eternity, his mind racing with Robert's admission. "You what?" he whispered. 

Robert sighed. Bringing his hand to face to wipe the rain from it. "I arranged everything. The phone call. The meeting in Hotten-" 

Aaron's eyes widened with shock. "That was you?" he exclaimed. 

A small smile tugged at Robert's lips. "Not one of best performances but…" 

Aaron huffed out a laugh. "You're unbelievable." 

Robert shrugged."It's been said." 

Shaking his head, Aaron turned on his heel and walked back to his car. 

Aaron was about to open the door when he felt a hand around his arm. He felt himself being spun around and two large hands grabbed either side of his face. 

Before he could say anything, Robert's lips were crashing against his. 

Bringing his hand up to Robert's shoulders, Aaron sank into the kiss. He'd missed Robert. He'd missed this. He felt like he was finally home. 

Robert broke the kiss but was still close. 

"Do you know what today is?" he asked gently, smoothing over Aaron's stubble that he loved. 

Aaron couldn't help but smirk "What do you think?" 

Robert smiled and kissed him again. 

~*~

Chas sat in the back room of the pub sipping a cup of tea and Seb was helping Eve colour. 

He turned to Chas. "Where's daddy Aaron?" he asked. 

Chas smiled to herself. "He's meeting someone luv. He'll be back to pick you up tomorrow." 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
